Stoke Bruerne to Anchor Cottage, Buckby Flight.

Loved this sign at Bugbrooke.

We are now moored at Anchor Cottage, Buckby Wharf, having cruised 14.3 miles, worked 6 locks, in 7hrs 30mins.

It was the longest cruising day this year for us 7½hours, but it has been a lovely day. We saw Barbara on nb Cloud Nine, which was lovely. We shared the locks with Keith and Jan on nb Salamander who are visiting from off the Middle Levels. We stopped near Anchor Cottage and moored up, where Keith made enquiries at the shop about unpainted real Water Cans, and she going to see if she can get him a couple. To finish off a perfect day we bought a couple of Mint Choc Cornetto's.

Moored at Stoke Bruerne

We are now moored in Stoke Bruerne, having shared the 7 locks with nb Manderlay on our 4.2 mile cruise, which took 3 hours 15 minutes. Having found a mooring we had lunch at the Spice of Bruerne, and very nice it was again.

Cosgrove to Yardley Gobion.

Hi Friends.

We left our Cosgrove overnight mooring at 9.05 am and headed up through Cosgrove Lock sharing with NB Free Spirit, we were both heading for the Sanitary Station. The actual block is being worked on at the moment, but you can still take on water and empty cassette's. The workmen have laid on facilities, whilst they work on the block. After a short cruise of 2.7 miles we found a mooring having only been on the move for 1 hr 15 minutes. We are now moored out in the countryside between Bridge 62 & 63, between Cosgrove and Yardley Gobion, where we will probably stay for the Bank Holiday weekend.

Great Linford to Cosgrove.

Hi Friends.

We are moored between Cosgrove lock and the Great Ouse Aqueduct. We did a food shop at Tescos at Wolverton on the way, during the drizzle, which stopped by the time we got here. Just have to decide whether to stay here or to head for Stoke Bruerne for the weekend, decisions decisions?

Now at Great Linford.

Yesterday we moored at Fenny Stratford, after an early start. We spent the day at Bletchley Park, which was very interesting and well worth a visit.

We are now moored at Linford Wharf, having cruised 5.8 miles, worked no locks, in 2hrs 25mins. We are going to have a wander around Great Linford to see what there is here, as it is a medieval village.

The Globe Inn to Stoke Hammond.

After a night of continuous heavy rain we decided to make a move and are moored at bridge 106, Stoke Hammond. With the rain stopping it seemed like a good idea to go. We even had some blue sky during our journey. The pounds are a little low on water, making it fun in places. Off to visit Stoke Hammond after lunch to see what is there.

Leighton Buzzard to near The Globe Inn.

We are now moored halfway between Leighton Buzzard lock, and The Globe Inn having cruised 1.27 miles, worked 1 lock, in 1hr 35mins. Stopped at Tesco's on the way for food shopping. We passed Carrie's NB Blackbird, but she was not around. A few jobs to do over the weekend on the boat, replace the broken circulation pump for the back boiler, grease the UV joints and rear bearing, check oil level in the gearbox, start to clean out the bilge under the boatman's cabin floor, polish the engine, and anything else we can think of in the mean time. Suggestions on the back of a post card please.

Great Seabrook to Leighton Buzzard.

Hi Friends.

After a really lovely cruise this morning we are now moored near the old railway bridge of the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway, having cruised 5.35 miles, worked 7 locks, in 3hrs 10mins.
Having walked into town and bought a few bits and bobs, we had a very welcome visitor call on us. Carrie off of NB Blackbird joined us onboard for a coffee and a good old catch up on news. I do love a good old chinwag. Thanks Carrie for coming to see us.

Marsworth to Great Seabrook.

Hello Dear Readers.

Only a short jaunt today. We are now safely moored above bottom Seabrook lock, having done 2.75 miles, 1 swingbridge, 4 locks, in 1hr 30mins.

At the bottom of the Marsworth pair, we met up with Turnothworld a copy of a Bridgewater Tug built by Roger Fuller in 1998. She looked absolutely splendid having just been repainted. Roger and crew are heading for the National Festival at Beale Park. It was nice to see them again, albeit very briefly.

Cowroast to the bottom of the Marsworth Flight.

We are now moored below the Marsworth flight, after a nice cruise down, with pretty views, having done 3.5 miles, worked 7 locks, in 2hrs 40mins.
We had lunch at the Angler's Retreat, and very nice it was too, followed off with a Mint and Choc Chip Ice Cream from Bluebells, first time it has been open when we have been passing through. It was extremely yummy.

This afternoon we were hailed by a voice which sounded familiar. Poking my head out of the galley window I was greeted by Les on NB Valerie. It was lovely to see Les and Sue. It has been a fair old while since we last saw him. We had a few moments to catch up with him, before he had to enter the lock with another boat. Hopefully it will not be so long before we see Les again.

Berkhamsted to Cowroast.

We are now moored above Cowroast lock, alongside the marina. Having done 2.38 miles, 7 locks, in 2hrs 40mins. Good deepwater mooring here, just how we like it. After lunch we went to the Chandlery to get some bits for work that needs to be done before the Winter.

Hemel Hempstead to Berkhamsted.

Hi folks.

We are now moored in Berkhamsted, it has been a good run with lots of boats travelling to the IWA National and most of the locks in our favour. We are now enjoying some lunch having done 3.85 miles, worked 12 locks, 1 swingbridge in 3hrs 55mins.

We met NB Vagabond with Bob and Nichola onboard, at Winkwell. They came out of the next lock as I was opening the swingbridge, so that worked out really well. Maybe next time we meet, we may get more time to chat about highs and lows of being a blogger. Nice to meet you both, if you are reading this, happy cruising.

Kings Langley to Hemel Hempstead.

We are now moored at Hemel Hempstead, having cruised 2.85 miles, worked 5 locks, in 2hrs. We are moored opposite B&Q, which is on the site of the Rose's Lime Juice Factory. Keith can remember the last boats to carry lime juice, from Brentford dock to here, to be made into the famous drink. We walked up into Hemel and had a buffet lunch at the Dragon Garden, and very scrummy it was too. Then we walked upto Jordans Antique Centre and browsed through the lace and ribbon plates, Measham and other goodies. It is like stepping back in time.

Cassiobury Park to Kings Langley.

Having enjoyed a lovely weekend moored up below the Cassiobury pair of locks we are now moored in a deep water mooring opposite Toovey's Mill Race, Kings Langley, we cruised 3.45 miles, climbed 8 locks, in 3hrs.

Rickmansworth to Cassiobury Park.

Hi Friends.

Having done a food shop at Tesco, we enjoyed a short cruise this morning and have now found a deep water mooring in Cassiobury Park, just above Ironbridge lock, having done 3.4 miles, 5 locks, in 2hrs 20mins. We will be here for the weekend. Might even set up shop and try to sell bits and bobs, a lot depends on the weather though.

Black Jack's to Rickmansworth.

Hi Friends.

We have successfully made it to Rickmansworth. I say successfully as as soon as we set off from our mooring above Black Jack's lock this morning the engine died. We were heading towards the island, and managed to get her tied up, sort of with some help from people on the island. To clean the oil filter yesterday Keith had drained some diesel out of the fuel filter, which had created an air lock. Having worked out what the problem was, we soon had it sorted out and were on our way again, but not after having a coffee with John off of Lincoln and Jane who owns the land. Thank you to everyone who helped us out.

Opposite Harefield Marina to above Black Jack's Lock.

Hi Friends.

We enjoyed a lovely weekend on the mooring opposite Harefield Marina. We also got the chance to meet up with family at the Horse and Barge, which was very enjoyable.
After a short jaunt we are now moored above Black Jack's lock. Another short run this morning, 1.16 miles, in 55mins but at least we did 2 locks this morning.

Having enjoyed our first coffee of the day, we then did an oil change on the engine, giving our old oil to the owner of Lincoln, who runs his DM3 on old engine oil. With lunch done and dusted, I was in the engine room, when a voice said "We like your blog" It was John and Judith on NB Serena who were travelling with NB Ubique. They are heading for the National Festival at Beale Park. As always it was nice to meet one of our blog readers. We look forward to seeing them again and with any luck we may spend a little more time chatting. Thank you for popping in and reading our blog. Have a safe trip and an enjoyable time at the festival.

Denham Deep Lock to Opposite Harefield Marina

Hi Friends.

We said good morning to Elaine and David on NB Patience, who passed us this morning on their way to the National Festival at Beale Park. Keith and I then enjoyed a lovely stroll around the lakes between Denham and South Harefield including the Hillingdon Outdoor Activity Centre where Keith learnt dinghy sailing, before moving Hadar to The Horse & Barge at South Harefield, which took a whole 35mins to do 1.5miles! We are going to spend the weekend here.

Uxbridge to Above Denham Deep Lock

Hi Friends.

We are now moored above Denham Deep Lock having done 0.7miles, 1 lock, in 40 mins, it was such an arduous cruise LOL. Once we moored up above the lock, we walked to the very pretty village of Denham. The village is approximately a mile from the canal. You walk through the Colne Valley Park and Golf Course. Having looked around this picturesque village, we had a coffee at The Green Man, which is right next door to yet another pub The Swan. We then took a leisurely stroll back to the boat, taking in the cafe at the Lock, where we bought some Chutney. Denham is well worth walking to, as it is an absolutely stunning little village, where many famous names have lived. Sir John Mills lived at Hills House from 1975 for 29 years.

The Boathouse, Harefield to Uxbridge.

Hi Friends.

We have left the Boathouse, Harefield after a fantastic weekend. Thank you to Dave, Roger, Ed, Tim and everyone, who made us feel so welcome. Keith enjoyed catching up with the people he knew from his day's working on Pisces at the end of the 60's and early 70's. The photo below is of Keith and Tim Snowden, talking about the old days.

Pisces 75th Birthday Party went very well, with lots of people popping in to wish her a Happy Birthday.

The Bar-B-Q was busy and the drink was flowing for many hours.

We are now moored above Uxbridge Lock having done 4.1miles, 4 locks, in 2hrs 25mins this morning . We are looking forward to spending a couple of days here to go shopping and I hope to get my hair cut, if the price is right. Keith also wants to go down to the chandlery to buy some oil, so we can give Hadar an oil change. The weather seems to have taken a downward turn as it has been raining on and off. So we may not go too far this afternoon.

Happy Birthday Pisces.

Hi Friends.

Having worked hard for a couple of days with Dave, getting the Boathouse ship shape for Pisces 75th Anniversary. We moved Hadar over the canal and moored alongside Pisces, which meant a lot to Keith to see Hadar and Pisces moored side-by-side.
Yesterday afternoon the festivities kicked off, with a Bar-B-Q and lots of drink flowing. Keith enjoyed catching up with some faces from the past. Lots of memories were dragged kicking and screaming into 2010, as they recalled things from way back when. A good time was had by all as we wished Pisces a Happy Birthday with a glass of Champagne. Here's to another 75 years.

Rickmansworth to above Coppermill Lock, Harefield.

We are now moored at Coppermill, Harefield opposite where Pisces moors, having done just 2.3 miles, 2 locks, in 1hr 45mins. Our first port of call this morning was Tesco's at Rickmansworth. We then set off for Coppermill. Once there and moored up we made our way over to the Hillingdon Narrowboat Association Boathouse onboard Pisces, which came across the canal to pick us up, and were immediately welcomed by Dave Wright, who owns Lupin FMC. We have offered our services for a few days to get the place ship shape for the Pisces party at the weekend, but before we got started, Dave cooked us a fab breakfast. I then got stuck into some painting, whilst Keith did some weeding. Keith was given the opportunity this afternoon to take Pisces up to just below Springwell lock, and back again to her mooring, brought back a lot of memories for him, from his days as a 15 year old working Pisces, especially reversing her back to the Stink 'ole to wind her. If only Hadar reversed like Pisces, but that was the unique thing about the original Star class boats. Having spent the afternoon with horses, we were back at base again and a well earned beer was at the top of the list of things to do. So Dave poured us all a beer, whilst tales from the past were bought up. It has been the most wonderful day. Tomorrow we are going to do it all over again.

Cassiobury Park to Rickmansworth.

Hi Fellow Bloggers and Readers.

We are at Rickmansworth, having done 4.1 miles, 7 locks, in 3hrs 20mins.
It was a fabulous morning for moving. We did not find anyone to share with until we reached Batchworth Lock, where Jeff and Lynda on NB Solace were waiting for us. Sadly that was where our journey was to end for the day. Because having left the lock and said cheerio to them once more, we filled up with water and emptied the cassette, found a mooring and then went into town for lunch at one of our favourite chinese buffets Tangs, 2nd cheapest we know, at £5 a head, not bad. and always yummy.

Fishery Inn, Boxmoor to The Grove, Cassiobury Park Watford.

We are now moored near The Grove, Cassiobury Park Watford, having done 6.2 miles, 12 locks, in 4hrs 10mins. The Grove is the ancestral home of the Earl of Essex. During the building of the Grand Junction Canal, the Earl at that time insisted on the ornate bridge 164 being built, rather than the standard canal bridge, it being his main entrance to the estate, and he wanted the canal to look more like a river, hence the 4 bends, 2 either side of the bridge.
Today we were fortunate to share the cruise and the locks with Marjorie, David and Eric on NB Constable and a good time was had by all. We are now moored up behind Barbara a fellow facebooker. It is always nice to put faces to names.

Berkhamsted to Fishery's Inn, Boxmoor.

Having left Berkhamsted on our own this morning, we are now at The Fishery Inn, Boxmoor, 3.2 miles, 11 locks, 3hrs 50mins. We wanted to moor at The Three Horses at Winkwell, but not deep enough, it was last year!

So we had a quick bite to eat and were about to set off through the Winkwell Swing Bridge when we saw NB Solace with Lynda and Jeff on board coming down through the second of the Winkwell Locks. I went and enquired as to whether they were going on down through the locks or mooring up and they said they were going on down, so I said if they did not mind sharing with us, we would join them. So we ended up going further than planned, but now have a nice shady mooring for the rest of the day. It was nice to meet Jeff and Lynda and I am sure we will see them again.

Meeting fellow bloggers.

Hi Friends.

Over the years that we have been blogging, we have got to meet and greet many new friends who are also fellow bloggers. This morning we welcomed onboard Dave Winter who writes a blog and also reads lots of boaters blogs. Dave contacted us via the blog and asked if he could come and say hello whilst we were in Berkhamsted, which we were only to happy for him to do. Dave has a dream of eventually buying a boat and living on the water. My advice to Dave is to never give up with that dream. Keith had that same dream many, many years ago and he fulfilled his dream, and I came along for the ride. Dave if your reading this, it was wonderful to meet you and thank you for the gifts. The cream scones were absolutely yummy.

We have enjoyed our stay in Berkhamsted and will probably stop here again on our return journey.

After Dave left us, we got on with some brass cleaning inside and out. I also gave the boat a wash down.

There have been lots of boats moving today in both directions, which has helped to keep the water level up. Yesterday evening it went down to the point, where we were listing quite badly. This was all due to a boat coming up through the lock below and they left both bottom paddles up and one of the top paddles as well, so water was flowing freely. This was not good for us or any of the other boats moored on the pound. Keith went up to the Gas Locks to let some water down, to find that the boater had wound the bottom paddles at these locks too, fortunately without leaving one of the top ones open. I can only hope they did not do it all the way up the locks. Anyway we are back on the level again today, so all is well.

We will be off tomorrow morning for a new destination.

Beggars Lane Wharf on the Tring cutting, to Berkhampsted.

Having had a rock and roll night with the strong winds. We have made it to Berkhamsted, 3 miles, 7 locks, 2hrs 30mins, and we will be here for the weekend now. We spent a pleasant morning cruising down the locks with Neil on NB Slow and Easy. Going to enjoy a nice weekend looking around Berkhamsted.

Bottom of Marsworth Pair to Beggars Lane Wharf on the Tring cutting.

We have been living onboard and cruising on Hadar for 3 years and 1 day..... Yippee.

Is now moored at Beggars Lane Wharf on the Tring cutting, 4.3miles 9 locks 3hrs 10mins. It has been a very windy morning coming up through Marsworth Flight, but nicely sheltered in the cutting now.

Linslade to the bottom of the Marsworth Pair

Hi Folks.

We are now moored below lock 37, Marsworth pair, 8.7 miles, 10 locks, 5hrs 40mins. Rain was promised and although we had a few spots on route, the heavy rain forecast seems to be finding it hard to let go. Some of the pounds were a little low, so rain really is needed.

Fenny Stratford to Globe Inn, Linslade

Hi Folks.

We spent a lovely day at Fenny Stratford. We walked into Bletchley and did some retail therapy and had a quiet evening on the boat, watching a DVD.
We have now arrived at The Globe Inn Linslade, 6.3 miles, 5 locks, 3hrs 25mins, we moored up, went inside the pub for lunch and the heavens opened! Now that is what I call good timing. We had a lovely cruise, but did have problems at the Soulbury 3 locks, because Hadar got grounded going into the 2nd lock due to a very, very low pound. Having allowed some water down, we were underway again and the rest of the jaunt was uneventful.

Milton Keynes to Fenny Stratford.

Hi Folks.

We said cheerio to Pam and Mac on NB Mona Lisa, before we set off . We managed to get to Fenny Stratford, 3.7miles 1hr 30mins, just as the rain started to fall heavily, excellent timing.

Cosgrove to Milton Keynes.

We are now moored near Gulliver's Milton Keynes, 7.1 miles, 1 lock, 3hrs 15mins. We will be here for the weekend now. We met the fleet of 7 working boats travelling from Paddington to Atherstone carrying gravel, trust us to meet them at a bridge 'ole!
We hope the rest of their journey is uneventful.

Stoke Bruerne to Cosgrove.

We have had a really lovely cruise to Cosgrove. 6.2miles, 7 locks, 3hrs 25mins. With wonderful weather and a pretty quiet canal, it has been a great day. We stopped at bottom Stoke Bruerne lock for some gas from Jules on Towcester, we got to have a brief chat before continuing on our way. We saw Robin and Laura on Miss Matty in passing as well, just as we came into Cosgrove. Now we are having a coffee, with the doors and windows open to a strong cooling breeze.

Bugbrooke to Stoke Bruerne.

We arrived at Stoke Bruerne yesterday after a non eventful cruise. Well pretty much uneventful. We had lunch at Spice of Bruerne, which was very nice indeed. We can totally recommend it, if you like Indian food. The last time we ate there was a year ago. After lunch we set up shop of all Keith's rag rugs, and the bits and pieces we have to sell, and we sold a few bits, not bad for a first time.

Onward to Bugbrooke.

We have now moved on to Bugbrooke. Did a small shop in the village shop, just salad stuff whilst it is still too hot to cook. We will be looking like rabbits soon, after all this lettuce. Been a long hard slog of 2 miles in 1hr 5mins (only joking). Pulled into the moorings and Hadar rode over something large, which sent us careering back out into the channel! Whatever it is, it is big and solid and just behind Hadar's stern.

This is as far as we are going today.

High House.

Hi Folks.

Last night we had a beautiful sunset, over the top lock at Braunston. Unfortunately this photograph does not do it justice.


We are now moored at High House, having done 9 miles, 7 locks, in 5hrs 50mins. We are moored near where our friends David and Elaine on NB Patience moor.

Our morning began at 7.30am with an early cruise through Braunston Tunnel.

When we came out of the other side of the tunnel, Elaine and David were moored up with a gearbox issue. We pulled in just in front of them and realised that the ground was moving.

On closer inspection we saw dozens of tiny Froglets all making for the woods and the damp ground. It was a matter of watching where we put our feet.

Keith helped David sort out the issue with the gearbox and we were both soon on our way. Buckby Locks do not get any easier, but with some boats coming up, it did save a bit of the work.

Being a Saturday and sunny, there were lots of boats, which included the hire fleet from Gayton Junction. One such hire boat came past us, with its occupants dressed as Pirates. What got my attention even more though was the lady sitting on the back counter with her legs hanging over the edge, and her feet in the water. I shouted to her to get her feet out of the water and her legs in. This was a serious accident waiting to happen and yet she seemed totally oblivious to the dangers. Hopefully with us having pointed the danger out, she will not do that again on her boating holiday.

So here we are at High House and the only mooring available was under trees with low hanging branches. Having moored up, we got the loppers out and did a bit of gardening. The trees have now had a hair cut. At least we will not hear the branches rubbing on the roof all night. With jobs and lunch done, we walked round and had a cold drink with Elaine and David and are now back onboard Hadar watching the football.

We will probably stay here until Monday and then make a move.

Back to Braunston.

We are back at Braunston top lock again, 5.75 miles, 3hrs. We travelled up through the locks with our friends David & Elaine on nb Patience.
Elaine and David moored up behind us overnight. It was absolutely wonderful to see them again. We were cruising down to Stratford-upon-Avon with them this time last year. Like all good boaters we had a good old natter, and caught up on all their news. So this morning we thought we my as well cruise together up the locks. The rain has now stopped and the sun is now out yayyy. Elaine and David will tell you, that when ever they do Braunston Locks, it always rains.

A Country View.

Hi Folks.

What another glorious day.

I went and got a few salad bits from the shop in Braunston and some bacon from the Butchers. Keith went to the Chandlery to get some boat bits as well. We then decided to leave the Braunston Stop House moorings and head out into the countryside up the joint Grand Union - Oxford Canal. As we left a gentleman on the bow of NB Constance said "Hello, I read your blog". I thanked him and we went on our way. If the gentleman on NB Constance is reading this posting, it was lovely to briefly meet you. Thank you for reading our diary. Maybe next time we meet, we will get longer to chat. All our readers are very important to us. So thank you for taking the time to pop in and read our diary.

So we are now out in the countryside and it is truly sublime. Stunning views and lots of birdsong.

Between Bridges 105 and 107 on the Oxford Canal, we spotted this heifer grazing on the bushes. Your think aww how lovely. The problem with this was she was grazing out on the towpath. On the offside there were cows grazing in the field, so we think she may have swum across the canal. At any rate I rang the BW quick response team number and they were going to send someone out to find the cows owner.

We winded at bridge 107 and headed back along the canal to moor near bridge 102, the Flecknoe road bridge, 7.4 miles 4hrs. This will be our home for a couple of days, as we have boat jobs to do.

We are moored behind Tug Hector, the 2nd boat that Roger Fuller built back in 1986. The last time we saw her she had just been bought by her present owners Daisy and Paul, and they still love her, which is great news. Tug Hector has had a few changes made to her inside and she is looking lovely. Whilst we were nattering to Daisy and Paul, Graham on the Ecover boat Tia, pulled in to refill my Ecover bottles for which I am grateful. I had been hoping to do this for sometime. I got to have a few words with Graham, before he was off on his way home. No doubt we will see him again sometime.

So all is well with our world and we will enjoy this mooring and the digital TV signal we have. Murray is level in sets with Tsonga, so come on Murray, give us Brits something to cheer about.

Right I am off to make yet another salad for dinner.

Braunston Historic Boat Rally

Hi Folks.

I am not going to mention the football, because I realise that there maybe some very depressed people reading this post at the moment. So I will cheer you up with a few photographs from the 8th Braunston Historic Boat Rally.

There were 94 historic boats at this years event. Which is a record. The event organisers were also fortunate with the weather, it was sweltering on both days, which brought out the public and made for some great photographs.

We had the most wonderful weekend, even though we were not taking part as we are not historic, although we are a working boat. Hadar was moored above the locks in the peace, quiet and shade, which was ideal for Paddy and Marmite. It just meant we had a bit of walk.

Keith took part in one of the boat parades. Two were held each day. The first at 11am and the second at 2pm. Keith managed to get a lift on Tom Hill's boats Archimedes and Ara. Keith was in his element.

Our weekend was made all the better, because we got to meet lots of fellow Bloggers and Facebookers. It is always wonderful to put faces to names. So a huge thankyou to everyone who came and spoke to us. It was lovely to see you all. It was also wonderful to see old friends. Some who had travelled quite a way to come to the Rally. If you have never been to the Braunston Historic Boat Rally, make sure you come next year, because it is a fantastic event. The atomosphere is amazing, as are the people you get to chat too.

Today has been a bit of a let down after such a wonderful weekend. But I think we both needed a rest after all the walking we had done.

We polished the boats brass and waited for Tom and James to come with some diesel.

They duly arrived during the afternoon to fill Hadar's tanks. Whilst she was filling up, I supplied the lads with drinks and the usual boaters talk got underway. Tom and James were heading back to London, so we hope they have a good trip. Tom's boats Archimedes and Ara look brilliant now they have been painted up, they are a credit to Tom.

With the day almost at a close, we are looking forward to a goodnights sleep, before setting off down the locks in the morning.

Horse Boating in the sun.

Good afternoon.

I have spent a fabulous morning taking photographs of the 'Butty' Angel being legged through Braunston Tunnel and then the butty was pulled along by a beautiful horse named Gypsy Queen. It was so wonderful to see. It made me ponder about how they used to do boating all those years ago.
It took the leggers about an hour and half to leg through Braunston Tunnel, all 2042 yards, 1867 metres. They certainly needed their weetabix this morning.
Gypsy Queen pulled the Butty Angel out of the lock and on to the next lock down the flight. There is something so majestic about this form of transport. It would have been so peaceful on the cut in those days.

Crick to Braunston.

We are now at the top lock Braunston, 8.5miles, 7 locks, 4hrs. We have had a lovely run through Crick Tunnel and down Watford Locks then on through Braunston tunnel. It was a fantastic mornings cruising, in the lovely sunshine. Surprized the moorings above Braunston top lock are empty, so we are now here till the weekend and the Historic Boat Rally.

Foxton to Crick.

Hi Folks.

Brrrrrrrr it has been more like Autumn today than Summer. Both Keith and I had to don our donkey jackets to keep out the chilly Northerly breeze. The sun did put in an appearance, but was not warm enough to make us take our jackets off.

Some of the views across the countryside along this 20 mile pound are stunning. We enjoyed 17 miles of scenery today and loved every moment of it.

We met Ben on NB Primrose Time on moorings above Foxton Locks, he was heading back to Market Harborough and his mooring. We met our first boat of the day NB Sarah D at 9.30 am and after that there was a steady stream of boats coming out of Yelvetoft and Crick Marina's for the weekend. There were plenty of stationary boats, some not holding up-to-date licences I hasten to add. We cruised past the home and stables of Piggy French. She has a beautiful property, but until today we did not know it was her place.

We were just about to cruise past Kilworth Marina, and saw that they were just about to let the Dayboat out. Luckily they waited until we passed them by.

After Bridge 33, we met in passing NB Margin, who told us that he reads our blog. It is always lovely to meet up with people, who take time out to come in and read about our life and adventures. So hello to the gentleman on NB Margin, hopefully the next time we meet, we may get to exchange names and a few words.

I could not resist taking this photo of a floating garden in progress, or is it purely a weed hatch-er?? Heading towards Crick we passed the new Yelvetoft Marina, who is selling diesel for £1.19 a litre any advance on £1.19? The Marina looked pretty empty. Either the boats are out, or they are still trying to fill it. It is in a lovely area and has all the facilities. Having met every man, woman and their dog moving, it was nice to arrive at Crick and find a mooring. We will be staying here till Monday.

Up, Up and moor up.

Hi folks.

Is now at the top of Foxton locks, 1 miles, 10 locks, 1hr 30mins.

Having been awake since 6am, Keith and I enjoyed an early cuppa in bed, before getting up and preparing Hadar for the off. The plan was to get up the locks early, which also seemed to be the plan of others, because as we arrived at the lock, there was a boat already going into the bottom lock. So having sat Hadar on the gates, I walked up to find the lock keeper. He informed me that we were 4th in the queue, which was a surprize to me because there was no one waiting at the bottom. Apparently I was passed by a gentleman running up the towpath, who was going up the flight third, if he was quick enough to get rid of his rubbish. Flippin cheek.
As it actually turned out, the boat in second place, said that we should go before them, as it would be easier. Which was really very nice of them. So thank you to the crew of Mutley. They very kindly helped me do the first few locks, which gave us a chance to have a nice chat. It turned out that they are good friends of Jo and John on Acen, who we also have go to know, since being in Market Harborough Basin. So we had a nice quiet run up through Foxton locks. Once above the locks Keith moved some more coal around in the hold to get the bow up a bit, he also restacked all the toilet blue and kindling. Hold looks all neat and tidy now. I mopped out the front locker, the gates at Foxton are leaking lots, and with such force it bounced off the fore deck and up under the hatch. There was a good inch of water in the locker. I have got most of it out, but as I am trying not to overdo it with my shoulder, I did not get it completely dry.
We have enjoyed a chat with other boaters moored near us and had our lunch. We are now watching the Germany v Serbia World Cup match on a digital signal, so all is good with our world today.

A little Gem

Hi Folks.

It has been the most beautiful morning here at Foxton. The sun was shining bright and early, with the temperature rising, as the hours crept by. Having walked his Lordship P early, we got to have a good run out across the field and I saw this little gem.
The flower is a Monkey Orchid and was the only one there. It is a real beauty. P was of course oblivious of this little gem, all's he was interested in was the rabbit holes.

On the move.

We are finally on the move. Firstly we waited for our coal delivery, before setting off at lunchtime today and are now at Foxton 5.5miles 2hrs 5mins, it is absolutely fantastic to be on the move again having been stuck in Market Harborough since December. After our coal was delivered by Chris and Tom, Keith then started Hadar's engine. It got warmed up and coughed into life, running at first on 1 cylinder, but then eventually she coughed some more and was soon running on 2 cylinders, she then ran perfectly all the way to Foxton. We then said our goodbyes to friends and set off yippee.

Hello, Goodbye.

This morning we said goodbye to our good friends Nigel and Anne on NB Enseabee. They arrived in the basin yesterday evening and after a quick clothes change, we joined them for a fabulous meal at the Waterfront Restaurant. Followed by drinks onboard their boat. It was a fabulous evening of chit-chat about allsorts of things, and the poo tank did not come into the conversation, which makes a change. Because normally all boating chatter has the poo tank in there somewhere.

Rainbows and Visitors

Hi Friends.

I dare say like us, you had all sorts of weather thrown at you. We have had three thunderstorms in three days, giving us an excellent light show on the first night.
Once the rain had cleared, the water in the basin was just like glass, giving us a fantastic mirror image across the basin.

After the thunderstorm, the sun would come out and we would be honoured with a Rainbow.

Whilst we all like dry sunny weather, this rain has been welcomed across the country and is very much needed in the reservoirs, otherwise we will be seeing restrictions across the network.

Today we had the pleasure of seeing NB. Inglewood coming into the basin with her crew of Christine and Alan and their friends onboard. With them moored up on of the pontoons, we joined them for a coffee, before going down to Joules for a lovely lunch. It was great to see Christine and Alan again. The last time we met up was at the Little Venice Cavalcade 13 months ago. So there was plenty to chat about. The above photograph was taken as they left the basin, heading back to Foxton.

Welcome Visitors.

Hi Friends.

Over the past few days, it has been lovely weatherwise.

I hope the sunny weather has been with you as well?

Keith is doing extremely well. He looks so well now and cannot wait to get moving. He is totally pain free still, which is fantastic. It is so nice to have him back to his normal self.

I have had a Cortisone injection in my right shoulder, to help with my partially frozen shoulder. I have to rest it for a couple of days and then start the exercises given to me on a sheet of paper. I am quite sure that this will do the trick and I will be in full working order by the time we begin our Winter coal run again in October.

Yesterday friends John and Jo arrived back in the basin on NB Acen, they are here for a month. It was lovely to see them again, along with their Whippets Purdy and Darcy.



Also welcome visitors are Sheila and Bruce on their brand new narrowboat Sanity Again. They had been showing their new Braidbar boat at Crick. They arrived in Market Harborough yesterday. Today we took the opportunity to go and have a peek around their lovely looking boat. It really is beautiful inside and out and they are of course very pleased with it. It was fabulous to be able to catch up with them on all aspects of news and gossip over a cuppa. They are heading off tomorrow, but I am sure we will see them somewhere on the cut again soon.


Our other welcome visitors were the swan family. The pen and cob brought their family of now eight cygnets to the basin for the first time. Sadly they have lost one of the cygnets over the past couple of weeks. I have a feeling it was probably the one I saw lagging behind after they all took to the water from the nest. They are the most beautiful family. Neither the pen or cob are at all agressive, they still take food from the hand, which is really lovely, because normally swans can get very agressive when they have young.

Painted Bucket

Keith has finished painting Hadar's bucket and has signwritten the ash can that Jo painted.

A Nice Day Out.

Yesterday we told you all that we went to the Crick Boat Show and that we bought some porthole lace. Well I thought you may like to see a photograph of the Spider Web lace in place. We are chuffed with our purchases. If you are looking for Porthole Lace give Sylvia Hankin a try at Artist of the Waterways.

Today (Sunday) we got to go out with friends Viv and David on NB First Fruits. It was Viv's birthday and so we went to Launde Abbey. In the photograph below you need to look past the scaffolding to see the real beauty of the place. It is in a stunning location in the heart of the East Midlands. Thankfully the weather was much improved from yesterday. Today we had sunshine and a gusty wind.

We spent time wandering around the gardens and the chapel, which is really stunning. All the local churches supplied flower displays and in the grounds stalls were set up selling crafty things, plants etc. The Abbey has an amazing walled garden and in the walled garden they have a couple of green houses. One of then has cacti in them and it was a bit like the day of the triffids. The cacti were enormous.

Having enjoyed an excellent morning strolling around the Abbey and gardens, we settled down under a gazebo to enjoy a buffet lunch, before heading back the scenic way to the basin and a cuppa onboard on NB First Fruits. We really did have a fantastic day with Viv and David, so a special thank you to them both for taking us out.

Crick Boat Show

We have just got back from visiting the Crick Boat Show. We were offered a lift there, which we gladly accepted. It was a little damp, but we enjoyed it as we got to meet lots of our friends and had some good old chinwags with them all. Jo managed to pick up some porthole laces, some proper spider webs ones, which look really nice. She has been looking out for some for a few years now. I spotted a windy Klaxon, but it wasn't really what I was looking for at the price he was asking. It was nice to see the historic boats allowed back into the marina. We did notice though that the number of stalls is definitely done, as was the number of sales boats in the marina, I think this may be why they allowed the historic boats in to fill up some of the empty spaces!

National TV Fame at Last

For those who were fortunate enough to be watching the BBC's "The One Show" tonight you will have been pleasantly surprised to have seen the above photo being shown. They had requested people to send in photos of people with their trophies, so Jo sent our photo taken of us last year at the Little Venice Canal Cavalcade after we had won the Vic Trott Trophy for best dressed boat people, with us in our costumes standing on the stern of Hadar moored up in the pool. We were amazed to see them show it. What was truly amazing was that their guest was Hayley Mills who was Keith's childhood sweetheart.

Hadar Ploughing through the Ice.

Finally we have been able to post this video of Hadar, ploughing through two inches of ice during the winter of 2009/10 from Foxton to Market Harborough. On a normal day the journey time would be 1 hour and 50 minutes, but on this day it took us 6 hours and 40 minutes, arriving in Market Harborough in the dark.

Painting and Varnishing.

It has been a fantastic morning weatherwise, so this was our chance to catch up with some paintwork. It finally looks like the weather is warming up. Keith turned his attention to the galvanised bucket. He has had this bucket for many years. it used to be green with roses and Pisces signwritten on it, but the years have taken their toll on the paintwork and it was in need of some TLC. Keith is now painting it in the red, white and blue of the boat and will then signwrite Hadar on it.I turned my attention to our Ash Carrier which was a present from Mo and Nessa on NB Balmaha. It is made of galvanised steel and so could probably cope perfectly well without being painted for a while, but I thought it would be nice to give it some added protection. Not only that Keith can then put the boats name on it, so it is personalized to us.Our Galley doors also got my attention today. I like to varnish them at least once a year, twice if the weather allows. It helps to protect the woodwork, as we like to have them open in all weather.

With the morning jobs done, we are taking life easy in the afternoon, as neither of us wants to overdo things. Keith is now coming down off of his pain killers. This will take a few days and then we will know if he is really pain free. I am not pushing my shoulder to hard, as it gets very annoyed if I overdo things. I am hoping my Physio appointment comes through soon.

Keith has completed his latest Rag-Rug. An experiment of phsycodelic circles. Someone somewhere might like it! To date everything seems to be going really well in my recovery, still no pain. Whatever they did seems to have done the trick. Hopefully Monday my GP will start to take me off the Dihydrocodeine, which has to be done slowly, at least then we could actually get moving, even if we have to return to Harborough for my biopsy results, it would be just so nice to get moving. Mind you I still have to fix the engine before we can move.

The skipper is home.

Hadar's skipper is back home and is at the moment pain free. Keith has to wait for biospy results, which should be ready in 2 weeks, having had another cystoscopy, so we will not be moving just yet. He also had another procedure done on his Prostate, and time will tell if it has worked. So glad to have him back onboard. Yesterday was a busy old day for us both. I was so grateful to our friend Tina for taking us to and from the hospital, also for her staying with me throughout the day, as I waited for the phone call from the hospital to say Keith could come home. Tina and I actually had a girlie afternoon, with lunch at the Waterfront and a stroll around the Market Harborough shops, which was very enjoyable. All this was happening whilst poor Keith was going through his ordeal, but at last we finally feel he maybe making some progress, after all these months. We are seeing the GP on Monday to find out what is in the letter the hospital has given us and, if he is still pain free, we need to start taking him slowly off of the pain killers, which will be fantastic. So keep watching this space for further updates.

Taking a break.

Good morning.

We are having a 3 week break from selling coal etc, because I have been told to rest my shoulder. I saw the GP this morning and have been told I have adhesive capsulitis or the beginnings of a frozen shoulder to you and me. I am now on Diclofenic anti-inflammatories to see if they will calm the pain down. So with Keith going into hospital on Thursday as well, we have decided to take the boards down for the time being.
Between you and me Keith and I are falling apart ha ha ha. It must be something to do with getting older. Geesh I have only just turned 48 and feel 98 today. Still I will do as the GP says and hope that my shoulder will be back to normal again after the 3 weeks, otherwise it may mean a steriod injection Ouch.

Cressy Cruise re-enactment

On Tuesday we were joined in the basin by NB Heron and NB Jupiter, who are attempting to re-enact the iconic “Cressy” cruise. Ron & Mary Heritage from IWA Oxfordshire Branch left from Tooley’s Boatyard in Banbury at mid-day on 24 April 2010 in their narrowboat “Heron”.

From Banbury, the cruise headed north towards Braunston. They then came on to the Leicester arm of the Grand Union Canal and descending through Foxton Locks to Market Harborough, site of IWA’s first National Rally in 1950. We have enjoyed some interesting chats with Ron. After they leave us they are heading north through Loughborough. You can see her other destinations on the IWA site. We wish them well with the rest of their journey, as they cruise the same route Tom and Angela Rolt on NB Cressy took all those years ago.


Yesterday Keith and I travelled up to Kettering Treatment Centre, for Keith's pre-op assessment. Everything went well and he is booked in for next week, to have a couple of procedures done, with a hope to finding out the cause of his pain. By the time we got home we were both shattered, it felt like a long day, but infact we were home by 3pm. Later in the day we received a visit from Paul and Merleen, who used to have NB Lady Celine. Merleen very kindly bought me some beautiful Yellow Tulips, which are gracing our galley with their glorious colour. Thank you Merleen and Paul. It was wonderful to catch up with them, as they also have health issues at the moment. After a good old chin-wag, we wished them well, as they headed home. It was an exhausting day, but we are making progress at long last with Keith. Now we just have to keep our fingers crossed that, the hospital does not cancel next week. So please cross your fingers for Keith. Today we are taking things much easier.

We are a Mouse Mat.

This morning Keith and I decided to walk down into the town for some exercise and to pick up some new paint brushes. Whilst down the town we noticed signs up for a Crafts and Arts Fair near Joules Eating House, so on the way back to the boat we wandered in to have a nose around and this was what we found on the Piggin Perfick Stall. Hadar is now being used as a Mouse Mat. The photograph was taken on the 200th Anniversary Cruise from Foxton to Market Harborough in October 2009. If we had not gone in to the Fair we would never have seen it or bought it. £2.50 does not seem like a lot for a Mouse Mat, especially as it has Hadar on it. Piggin Perfick does limited edition products, Photographic and quilting, sadly they do not have a website.

We also found this large copper kettle and just had to buy it, it was a bargain and a lot older than our existing one which we bought at the 2006 Crick Boat Show. Keith washed it and Jo polished it and very smart it looks too glistening and gleaming on our stove in the boatman's cabin.